What makes a fly effective?

[Guest]

What properties of a patern make it effective?

 

Would it be the flash, size, color, proportions of a fly, or something else?

 

Is one more important to you than the other ?

[Guest]

In my experience and from what I have read color and size are the most important components of a fly.

[Guest]

Size-Shape-Color. In that order

[Guest]

The most effective fly is one presented in a similar way to the naturals the fish is feeding on, the fly being built to represent the natural.

SO In order of importance,

1 stealth on the part of the angler

2 presentation of the imitation in the feeding zone (surface to stream bed)

3 size of artificial

4 colour

5 shape

[Guest]

I think we're all leaving off an important property of a fly, and that's movement of the materials. Sometimes we want a lot, sometimes we don't. The choice of materials to get the desired movement is critical to fly success.

 

If I tie up two buggers, one with a marabou tail, one with, say, bucktail, and let 'em both hang in the current, I'll give you good odds the marabou outfishes the bucktail 95% of the time.

 

One of the reasons Hans Weilmann's CDC & Elk is such a successful fly is the mobility and flow of the CDC in the body.

 

All that being rambled, I would list important properties as:

 

Shape appropriate to the prey(this includes size)

Movement (or lack of)

Color

 

Jason

[Troutman 0]

It's simple, Size, color and Presentation.

 

Jim

[Guest]

My wife says that size doesnt matter...............

but I think that size Proximity to available food source that the fish are keyed in on

presentation

color in that order

[uncletube 0]

For me the things that make a fly productive are:

Size

Color

Shiloette

Presentation

Drift

Put these 5 things together and you will have a winner.

Tight lines always,

Tube

[Guest]

i guess, in my opinion, it would have to be presentation....can you wiggle it ,or float it, or swim it well enough to get the fish's attention. I have caught huge bass on hare's ears, and gills on #2 Dahlbergs. I guess the question I ask myself is "can I make that fish think this is alive"....Very thought provoiking questio, Kevin. May have to think about it a bit more and get back to this thread.

"

[Guest]

It's question that came up Monday night at my clubs fly tying meeting.

Everyone had a difference in opinion. With presentation as out of the equation, the general consensus was size.

We all know no matter if you have a perfect pattern on. If you do not present it correctly, you could not catch a cold in Antarctica.

 

I would say size leading towards correct proportion, then color. Not all bugs are the same in color but if you give them something they can relate to by size. They usually will take the fly for inspection.

 

John Gerlich said it best. I can catch 9 out of 10 trout on a given pattern. But with a pattern tied perfectly to size and proportion will catch 10 out of 10.

 

I don't know about those stats but I can see some merit to it. Its the reason I try to spend extra effort towards each fly I tie. If I don't like it I will unwrap it and start over. I want to be able to pick up that finicky fish when the opportunity arises. No since tying something you don't have confidence in.

[flytyer 0]

I will throw in my 50 cents worth from a saltwater prespective.

 

If it looks like what is being imitated and ACTS like what is imitated then it should catch fish.

 

With that said, lets take a Merkin. If the fish are feedin on a crab that is 2 inches and you cast a fly that is 4 inches then it might not catch a fish. If they are feeding on brown crabs and you throw a green crab ?????????????

 

Presentation is of the upmost importance. No matter how good the fly looks and there are some realistic patterns in saltwter, if it does not act like the natural then most likely you will not catch fish. This is not ture in all cases but some fish are more picky than others and this is especially true with permit.

 

I have been fishing for tarpon and they woul dnot eat anything - maybe they were not hungry but at other times they would hit a bare hook.

 

Some fish key in on disturbance and some key in on color/action.

 

I would say

 

1. Size/color

2. Presentation

3. Retreval

 

If it looks like the natural, is presented like the natural and retreived like the natural - Wala!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Just my opinion.

 

Oh yes, it has been beat into me for many, many years that gills and eyes DO make a difference in fish catching ability of the fly.

 

[Guest]

I'll jump in for one

 

I can't speak for salt or warm-water, but in trout rivers anything that resembles a current food source will take fish. I fish with a basic shape that most closely duplicates this food. Size? I might go a size bigger in order to get noticed. Color? I really depends on the stain in the water. There again, I might go extreme and use attractor colors if the situation calls for it. Clear water as everyone knows is the most difficult scenerio, as is slow water. It gives the fish time to reject the offering.

 

A little flash like a bead or a few strands of tinsel may draw strikes even from neutral fish. Basically try to promote an easy worthwile meal. If the fish are active, it really doesn't matter. They'll hit anything